


Seeing the Other Side

by artemis101



Series: Summer of Gotham [3]
Category: Gotham (TV)
Genre: Body Swap, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Past Child Abuse, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-16
Updated: 2018-07-16
Packaged: 2019-06-11 12:39:39
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,662
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15315705
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/artemis101/pseuds/artemis101
Summary: Of all the absurd things that had happened to Oswald over the years this was by far the worst and once he found Ed and everything was fixed he was going to kill Ed.





	Seeing the Other Side

**Author's Note:**

  * For [loveart248ai](https://archiveofourown.org/users/loveart248ai/gifts).



> Hello everyone, I have a new story written based off of a prompt I got from the lovely loveart248 on Tumblr. It also fits as part of The Summer of Gotham and even though I'm really behind on that I still decided to add it. So this is Week Sevens Prompt Body Swap. I hope it's good and everyone enjoys it.

He didn’t know how and he didn’t know when but when Oswald got his hands on Ed there was going to be one less nuisance in the world. Honestly, how did Ed even manage to switch their bodies? A dark chuckle broke Oswald out of his mental rant. ‘ _ Does the how really matter to you _ ? There are much more important things that could be done.’ Oswald, thoroughly shocked, looked for the location of the voice only to be distracted by the same chuckle. ‘ _ Really Ossie, with that type of brain power we’ll be dead in a matter of hours. Maybe next time attempt to actually use your head. My head actually. _ ’ The mocking tone of the voice had lilted into a malicious growl at the end. ‘Riddler?’

 

‘ _ As I live and breathe. I thought you would have had it figured out by now but clearly I overestimated your abilities. _ ’

 

Oswald wanted answers as to what had happened and Riddler should have them. ‘Why did Ed and I switch bodies?’

 

‘ _ Instead of asking me that, why don’t we focus on getting you back to the proper body. Of course, the quickest way to do that would be to let me take over. I’m much more familiar with how Ed works. I know all the controls, you, on the other hand, have no experience and would flounder around hopelessly. _ ’

 

Oswald knew without a shadow of a doubt that letting Riddler be in control was the worst possible option. The only person who knew what Riddler would do was currently in another body. A body that had a meeting with the family heads in an hour and that was if Oswald had immediately woken up after the switch. ‘Don’t play with me Riddler, why did we switch bodies?’ Oswald demanded his anger bubbling up. ‘ _ You of all people should know you can’t get something for nothing. How about we make a deal? You let me take over this operation, I’ll fill you in on everything that happened to cause this mess. _ ’

 

‘I already told you that will not happen. If you refuse to help me then I’ll find Ed force him to tell me.’

 

Another dark chuckle curled around Oswald's head. ‘ _ Good luck with that. You don’t even know where we are or where Ed is. You will have to learn to work with an entirely different body, avoid the GCPD and your own men because they don’t know about the change. Seems like a lot for one so simple-minded as yourself to handle. I’m obviously the better choice but fine. I’ll watch you fail and come crawling back begging for me to take over and save us. No doubt this will be entertaining. _ ’

 

With a huff of annoyance, Oswald pulled himself to his feet or rather Ed’s feet. He glanced around the large room that was filled with items covered in sheets, all except for one machine with the sheet pooled on the floor. Oswald had no idea what it was and he had no intention of finding out. He went stumbling on his first step ending up once more on the floor. He was going to have to get used to walking on such gangly limbs. He stood dusting himself off before trying to walk again. Stealing his resolution he stood once more and focused on walking. He accommodated for longer legs and was soon working his way to the door. Halfway there he came to a realization. There was no pain in his leg. Ed’s bones hadn’t been broken without having proper care taken care to treat them afterward. Maybe there was a small upside to the situation after all. Finally making to the door he strode out. ‘Alright Ed I’m going to find you, and when I do you won’t like the results.’

***

This was an incident Ed would be glad to never have a repeat of. How he had managed to switch bodies with the most wretched person in Gotham he wasn’t sure. Well, he wasn't sure enough to take the blame. If the GCPD didn’t want people going through Strange’s equipment then they should have guarded it better, but what more could you expect from a city of neanderthals. Getting the blasted machine to work had been difficult enough but know he had to deal with being trapped in Oswald’s body. 

 

Edward struggled to push himself up only to be stopped by searing pain surging throughout his leg. With a gasp, he dropped back onto the ground face first. “Oww, how does he deal with this daily.”

 

Edward laid there breathing the pain that continued to radiate through his leg. He wasn’t aware of how long he rested on the ground listening to the movement outside of the door. Ed was flooded with tension when a knock came at the door. “Hey ya boss, we gonna get a move on?” 

 

Zsasz’s voice rang out and an edge of impatience clearly heard. Panic raced through Ed’s body at the thought of Victor coming in. How would he react to seeing Edward instead of Oswald? He was unprepared for the situation. How was he supposed to pass off being in Oswald’s room as… Oswald. Everything clicked back into place and he pulled himself together. “Victor,” he snapped, “What have I told you about trying to rush me?! It adds to the fear when they have to wait.”

 

“Yeah so? It adds to my annoyance when I have to wait.”

 

“Victor,” a slight pause, “Go away!”

 

Ed heard nothing but he presumed Victor had left. Successfully pulling himself up Ed gave himself a once over in the mirror. Oswald was dressed up more so than usual so this meeting must be about teaching someone there place. A meeting Ed now had access to and an empire he could once more ruin and this time from the inside. A smirk etched itself onto his face. This was going to be fun and after he destroyed Oswald, then he would work on getting his body back.

***

He didn’t understand how Ed could do it. Riddler never shut up. All he ever did was taunt Oswald. The superiority that leaked off of him was palpable. Every step was spent listening to how Riddler thought he was obviously inferior in the role of Edward. ‘ _ It’s truly fascinating how long you spent with Ed and yet you still can’t replicate him. _ ’

 

“Would you be quiet!”

 

Oswald shouted, fed up with listening to Riddler. He looked around quickly just to see that everyone walking the streets had ignored his little outburst. Only in Gotham could someone yell to themselves in public and still be ignored. Though part of that might be because he had ditched that gaudy green suit. An action that had left Riddler particularly upset. The force of the Riddler’s screaming during his tantrum left Oswald's ears ringing. Seriously who cares about a suit that much. ‘I style my hair but that’s irreplaceable, he could get a suit anywhere. Especially one better than the eyesore he already wears.’

 

As it was now Oswald was walking through the streets dressed down in a simple shirt and jeans. Not his particular taste but Edward was so tall that the less attention he drew the better and Riddler had been right about one thing. Ed was being hunted by the GCPD and Oswald’s own men. He needed to figure out how to get into the manor and find himself, or rather Ed and as quickly as possible. He had no doubts that Edward would demolish everything he worked so hard to build if given even half a chance and now he was being allowed to run around as Oswald. No doubt those morons wouldn’t even catch onto the fact that something was wrong. ‘ _ Or maybe they will and they just hate you so much they don’t care if he ruins you. _ ’

 

Oswald hadn’t missed Riddler hissing malicious ideas into his head but he had wondered where he had gone. ‘If you dislike me so much then help me get back to the manor so I can get my body back and you can continue controlling Ed like a puppet.’

 

If he was angry before then the only thing that could describe Riddler after the comment was malevolent. Oswald waited for Riddler to start screaming again but nothing came just an insidious feeling curling under his skin. It was definitely unsettling but nothing Oswald couldn’t deal with. A yell sounded from behind him and he looked back. He recognized one of the thugs he employed in finding Edward and apparently the guy recognized him because he started coming for Oswald. ‘Any bright ideas?’

 

When a response never came Oswald let out a sigh and started running.

***

Edward was having a tremendous amount of fun if you ignored the tremendous ache in his leg. He had already screwed two meetings. One with a man who had stepped out of line and another with the heads of the families. He knew heads would already be turning at the chance that Oswald was slipping up. Soon word would spread to those outside of the meeting and people word be vying for the opportunity to be the new king. Ed chuckled at how beautifully everything was coming together. This was the very reason he didn’t want to rule. Having to deal with all of these ignoramuses constantly would drive him insane. He’d need a new certificate. He giggled at the thought, like he’d even earned the old one.

 

Though he had to give them props, they had spotted Oswald, err, Riddler walking the streets of Gotham. The odd thing was that the nearly hadn’t recognized him because of his manner of dress. It appeared that Oswald had exchanged his suit for something much more distasteful. If Riddler knew of this change he would be furious. Actually, that raised a rather important question. Where is Riddler? He hadn’t spoken to Ed since this entire fiasco began. He shouldn’t be upset considering going through Strange’s equipment had been his idea from the beginning. He had been waiting for the cursory comment about how Ed had managed to screw up the simple task of seeing what type of inventions Strange had made. Nearly an entire day and he had yet to hear that mocking tone filling his head or see Riddler waiting around to laugh at him. It was like he was just gone. Generally, Ed would celebrate Riddler leaving him alone but he just felt empty. Like a part of him was missing. It wasn’t like Riddler could just wander off either, he was a part of Ed, unless… Unless that machine swapped Riddler with someone else. Ed shook the thought away with a wave of his hand. ‘No that’s ignorant, if he switched bodies then that would mean Oswald would be traveling in my body with another person and that’s impossible. He’s just not speaking to me as punishment for ruining his plan.’

 

Still, the idea unnerved Ed, he needed to find a method of distraction. Dinner would be in an hour and no other meetings were arranged so he needed something else to do. Like, rearrange the files in Oswald's office. Yes, that would work nicely they could be organized like a peat moss. Lateral. He turned around only to find the barrel of Zasaz’s gun in his face. “Body or not, you definitely aren’t Penguin. So I’m gonna give you one chance to tell me who you are.”

***

It had been a tedious journey but finally, Oswald had made it to the manor. Avoiding those idiots had been annoying but not entirely difficult. Riddler was no help as always. He still refused to speak but when the buffoons got close he made loud noises to spoke Oswald. It had nearly got him caught but luckily Oswald had left himself another escape route just in case his original plan didn’t work. The journey had been brief after escaping from them. He managed to catch a cab willing enough, or perhaps stupid enough to take him to the drive of the manor. ‘Any idea what I’m going to walk into?’

 

Still, he received no answer so Oswald took a deep breath and entered the manor. He didn’t know what he was expecting, mayhem of a minor scale maybe, but not Zsasz holding a gun to his forehead. “Body or not, you definitely aren’t Penguin. So I’m gonna give you one chance to tell me who you are.”

 

The look of shock and terror made Oswald's trip worth it. He couldn’t control the laughter that bubbled up. He had to lean against the wall since the laughter made him incapable of supporting himself. Through the moisture that had appeared in his eyes, he could see Ed’s look of shock turn to annoyance. It took another minute to pull himself together but he finally managed. “Victor I never imagined you would be perceptive enough to realize something was wrong. Yes, that’s my body but inside it is Edward.”

 

“Excuse me? You're saying that you switched bodies with the green bean? You realize how absurd that sounds right?”

 

Zsasz pulled his other gun and pointed it at Oswald. “Got any proof?”

 

“What type of proof do you expect me to provide?” 

 

“I don’t know, tell me something embarrassing you did that I know about.”

 

Oswald’s annoyance turned to disbelief. “Are you serious?”

 

“Yeah pretty much. If you can’t prove it I’ll have to torture both of you until I figure out what’s going on.”

 

Victor gave a quick shoulder roll and flashed a smirk. “So, got anything to tell me?”

 

“You’re absolutely ridiculous. I don’t humiliate myself in front of anyone!”

 

“Mhmm.” 

 

Zsasz slowly cocked the gun. “Wait, wait. Fine but once I’m back in my proper body we’re going to have a conversation about this situation. You caught me going to the kitchen in my pajamas going to get a glass of water from the kitchen because I forgot to bring a cup to bed.”

 

“And?”

 

“And what? That’s what happened you insolent...”

 

Zsasz abruptly cut him off. “What were the pajamas?”

 

“What?”

 

Oswald’s question was practically a squeak.

 

“You heard me.”

 

Oswald couldn’t maintain eye contact while a blush covered his cheeks. His voice dropped to a whisper that could barely be heard. “They were the flannel pajamas I got from Ed.”

 

With a nod, Zsasz dropped the arm that held the gun. “Alrighty, boss, nice to see you. Why are you masquerading as the Green Giant?”

 

Oswald never got a chance to answer as Edward angrily spoke. “Says the fool that couldn’t even recognize his boss.”

 

Zsasz cocked the gun he had pointed at Ed. “Yeah well, at least I don’t have a gun aimed at me.”

 

Oswald took a moment to revel in the situation. “Not so smart now are you, Ed. You couldn’t even manage to pass as me and you lack Riddler. I suppose he was the real brains of your operation. And really, hearing voices. You truly did belong in Arkham perhaps I should have left you there.”

 

Was that?... It was. Hurt flashed across Ed’s face before he carefully schooled his features. He never spoke and for a short moment, Oswald nearly felt guilt. ‘ _ Both of you are portrayed poor persona’s I’m not surprised that you both messed it up so royally. _ ’

 

It appeared Riddler was back but the mocking was gone. Every word he spoke had dripped with pure venom but none of it really seemed directed at Ed. ‘Finally decided to grace us with your presence because at this point your useless.’

 

Oswald waited for a witty retort. ‘ _ You think I’m the useless one but you can’t even begin to comprehend how out of your depth you are. You know nothing about what I do except for what your small view can see. _ ’

 

The venom was still prevalent but some other emotion lurked under the words.

 

‘ _ I have better things to do with my time then listen to you go on. Instead of gloating get to the real issue at hand already, I want Ed back. He’s much more malleable to my cause _ .’

 

That last sentence seemed almost tacked on, like an afterthought without meaning. Still, he had a point. As nice as it was to be able to look down at people he missed his body. “Hey, Penguin should I kill him now?”

 

“You idiot you can’t kill me.”

 

Ed’s hiss sounded wrong coming from Oswald’s mouth, he didn’t react like that when angry. “You sure about that ‘cause from where I’m standing I got the gun.”

 

“No you imbecile, kill me and you kill Oswald or have you already forgotten what your employer looks like.”

 

“Enough. He’s right about one thing Zsasz, we can’t kill him until I’m in the proper body. How did you switch us?”

 

Ed made eye contact with the floor. “Ed?”

 

“I…” he trailed off. After a full minute of silence, he finally spoke again, “I don’t know how.”

 

Oswald scoffed, “You don’t know how what a surprise.”

 

“All I was doing was seeing what machinery was confiscated from Strange, I wasn’t trying to use anything it just turned on.”

 

“Great so because you just had to explore something you knew nothing about we’ve ended up in different bodies without knowing if we can get back.Wonderful. Genius indeed.”

 

Oswald expected Ed to defend himself instead he just seemed to deflate. Oswald's head was another story. Everything became blurry. It felt like Riddler was trying to smother him mentally. His anger seeped into everything and Oswald struggled to think. Oswald felt ready to pass out by the time Riddler finally stopped. ‘ _ At least we were attempting to pursue greater knowledge,  you’re satisfied to sit among the riff-raff. I want you gone so stop babbling about what’s happened and work on figuring out how to fix it. _ ’

 

As much as he hated to admit it Riddler had a point. They needed to work on the issue at hand. The problem with that was how late it had become. At this point, Oswald would be having dinner then relaxing before bed. “Dinner will be ready in ten minutes,” Ed spoke as if reading Oswald's thoughts, “Perhaps we should eat then discuss our next move. It appears that we must work together again Oswald.”

 

With a reluctant sigh, Oswald agreed and waved Zsasz off. Edward wouldn’t try anything until they were back in their proper bodies. They should be planning but dinner was a quiet affair for both. Not even Riddler spoke to insult the dinner choices. Oswald was hit with a wave of exhaustion near the end. Normally he would take some time to read with a glass of whiskey before bed but normally he also hadn’t had to run away from goons chasing him because he looked like his worst enemy. It seemed time apart hadn’t changed Ed’s ability to read him since he spoke immediately. “Bed is the most advisable thing at the moment. Neither of us can come up with a good plan if you fall asleep due to fatigue.”

 

Oswald wanted to argue but he had no energy left so with a nod he left Ed at the dinner table and went to his room. There he was presented with a new problem. What was he supposed to change into? He had gotten rid of almost everything that Ed had owned while he lived here. The only thing left … was the flannel pajamas, that sat at the foot of the bed. He had no idea who set them out but he was thankful for whoever it was as well as mortified. Someone other than Zsasz new about the clothing. With a swift change, he was ready for bed. Laying down he sank into sleep instantly.

***

Ice cold water swallowed him as he struggled to swim to the top. He saw two men standing on a pier watching. Why weren’t they helping him? He was obviously drowning. The water kept pulling him down when a muffled gunshot broke the air one of the men fell in with him. The man wasn’t even trying to swim. Oswald fought against the water to get to the man but the more he tried the less he could move. It didn’t matter, the man’s lifeless body sank to his level and no. Oh no, it was Ed. Shot through the heart, blood seeping into the water staining everything red. Oswald managed to grab Ed. Suddenly all the water drained and Oswald was left holding Ed’s body. He coughed, blood leaking through his lips when his eyes shot open. They flickered restlessly before landing on Oswald. A smile curved his bloodstained lips when he lunged pinning Oswald beneath him. The blood that had been running down his chin dripped onto Oswald as Edwards skin started to discolor. His skin had a sickly green tint as his eyes become glossy and nearly black. “ _ You know nothing. _ ”

 

That voice couldn’t be Ed’s, it was dark, twisted. It had to be Riddler. His hands wrapped Oswald’s throat and he squeezed. Oswald flailed desperately but was unable to pry Riddler’s hands off. A glint caught his eye. A gun lay just barely within arms reach. Where had it come from? Maybe the man at the pier dropped it when he shot Ed. Just the thought caused pain to wrap around his heart. Ed had been killed leaving no one but the Riddler behind. With as much effort as he could afford Oswald reached over and grabbed what appeared to be a handgun that the GCPD were given. It didn’t really matter though as long as it stopped Riddler. Still, he couldn’t bear to kill the only tie he had left to Ed so with as much effort as he could muster he slammed the butt of the gun into Riddler’s head. He seemed more surprised than hurt but it was enough for Oswald to push him off. He scrambled up and ran as fast as his leg would allow. A brief glance back showed that Riddler hadn’t followed him.

 

Oswald stopped running when he came to the edge of a small home. The bright sunshine alone gave away the fact that this wasn’t Gotham but he couldn’t be sure where he was. It was the only place around though so maybe he could call Zsasz to come get him. He knocked on the door but got no response. He was stopped on his second attempt by a small boy carrying several books. “Shh, if he’s home you don’t want to wake him.”

 

The boy took Oswald completely by surprise. “Do you live here?”

 

“Yeah. You can come in if you want you just have to be quiet.”

 

“You're going to let a stranger into your home? Not that I don’t appreciate the kindness but friend that seems dangerous.”

 

The boy brushed past him sliding his books under one arm. He pushed up the comically framed glasses that threatened to slip off his face before pulling a key from his pocket. He unlocked the door before slipping the key back into his pocket and walking inside. Without even glancing back he left Oswald standing at the door. He didn’t know why but the house gave him an ominous feeling. Still, he needed to reach Zsasz if at all possible so he steeled his nerves and entered the house. The inside matched the outside. Run down but modest. An attempt to take care of the place seemed like it had been started but abandoned. The first door of a short hallway lead Oswald to a living room where the boy was sitting. He had opened one of his books, paying no mind to anything around him. “Hello, it’s considered rude to invite someone in then just ignore them.”

 

He got no response, it was like the boy couldn’t even hear him. He looked familiar but Oswald couldn’t pinpoint from where. He wasn’t around children often so one like this would be memorable. He was interrupted by the entrance of a bulky man that went and towered over the boy. “Where the hell have you been?”

“I-I-I was at the library.” 

 

The boy looked absolutely terrified as he stared up at the man Oswald could only assume was his father. Was this the him that was mentioned earlier. He held a beer in his hands but the way he had staggered over made it seem like he had already been drinking. “The library? You pansy, the hell are you doing staying inside all day and reading. The boys who are gonna turn into real men are out doing sports and working.”

 

With that sentence, the man ripped the book away and slammed his foot into the boy's stomach. “Sir! That is uncalled for.”

 

Oswald's plea for attention was ignored and he watched as the man leaned down to place his beer on the floor and when he straightened up he yanked the boy up by his hair. He proceeded to backhand the boy with his other hand and continue from there. He watched as the boy was beaten to a pulp before the man, satisfied with what he had done, picked up his beer and stumbled out of the room but not before one more insult was thrown at the boy. “Fucking kid go and act like a normal kid, not some faggot.”

 

Oswald went cold at the use of that word and yet at the same time rage boiled up. He missed his chance to speak though as the man left. Finally, the boys crying broke through the static in his ears. Crying and another person's voice. “ _ Ignore that moron. He doesn’t understand how brilliant we are and it scares him. _ ”

Oswald turned expecting to see another person in the room but it was still him and the boy. He had curled up into a ball with tears streaming down his face. “ _ Soon we can leave and we won’t have to worry about either of them. _ ”

 

That voice still spoke but he couldn’t see it until he caught sight of a reflection of the boy in a mirror hung on the wall. One would almost think it was the same buy except this one was unharmed. He stood tall and wasn’t wearing glasses. His eyes held a coldness that was lacking in the other one. The boy who was crying pushed himself into a sitting position and removed his glasses to wipe his face. Sniffing he nodded to her reflection. “I know.”

 

It was only two words but the reflection seemed satisfied. It nodded in acceptance and remained quiet. The people in this house obviously couldn’t hear him but he didn’t understand why. The boy had spoken to him outside. Unless he had been talking to the other one but that made no sense there hadn’t been anything reflective outside. Maybe he had just been speaking to himself. The boy dragged himself to his feet and limped to another room in the house. Moonlight poured into the window highlighting everything and revealing the room as a kitchen. A woman sat alone at the table as they entered the room. She barely even looked up but went right back to the cigarette she was smoking when she saw the boy. He was ignored until he filled a glass with water. Closer examination showed that she was probably drunk. 

 

She spoke softly but her voice still split the air like thunder. “You know Ed you were a mistake from the start. I didn’t even want to have you but my parents would’ve never let me get rid of you. Had to keep up that perfect family image. An unwanted pregnancy would have made us look bad. So I kept you and I hoped that things would get better once you were born. That just maybe I would get lucky enough to have this Godsend of a child but no, you went a ruined that too. You always cried. No one could get any sleep because you wailed for hours and still I tried. You just can’t be normal, can you? Have to act so superior and smart when your just a problem. He wasn’t like this before you, he used to love me. Your father used to be a good man but you ruined him too. Now he’s just angry because your such a mess. The teachers say your special and I thought that might make things better but instead you just need medicine. I’ve tried so hard for you, I took you to doctors to see if they could fix you, therapists, child psychologists but no one can change how horrible you are. I’ve done my best for you Edward but you are truly just a rotten unlovable child. Honestly, what did I do to be cursed with you.”

 

With a sob, she put out her cigarette and buried her head in her arms to continue crying. All the while Ed who looked several years older now, leaned against the counter finishing his glass of water. If a tear wouldn't have slipped down his face then Oswald might have thought Ed hadn’t cared. Once he had finished Ed walked past the crying woman and back into the hall. Oswald followed him all the way up the stairs until they reached the end of the hallway on the second level. Ed hid by a doorway as the man and the woman stood yelling by the stairs. “I can’t do it anymore. I can’t live with you and that monster of a child.” 

 

The man grabbed her arms shoulders and shook her. “I don’t care. He’s your son to and there’s no way in hell your leaving and abandoning us both. I refuse to raise that waste of space alone.”

She slapped him and with a roar of pure fury, he practically threw her down the stairs. She lay motionless at the bottom, her head turned at an odd angle. Silence settled through the house as they all took in what the man had done. Ed’s voice startled all of them as the boy with no glasses appeared beside them. “ _ Go to bed now Ed. If he knows you saw you’ll be the next one to “fall” down those stairs. _ ”

 

Ed stood up and rushed into his room, slipping under the cover she closed his eyes. “ _ Your breathing is too rapid he’ll know your awake if he comes to check. Follow me. In… and out. Come on Ed, in… and out. _ ”

 

Slowly Ed’s breathing evened out and anyone who didn’t know would believe he was asleep. His father did come to check just to see Ed asleep. Oswald was reeling from everything that happened. 

 

Too soon though the sun came up and with it Ed who looked to have aged another few years. The scrawny boy had grown into a scrawny man. Still, he loomed over Oswald. Ed traveled to the kitchen and pulled ingredients out for breakfast. He began cutting pepper up to throw on what looked to be an omelet. It was comforting to just watch the boy cook, it was the first time Oswald ever saw him look truly relaxed. The father soon ruined all of that by storming into the kitchen, fury etched onto his brow. “You want to explain what I just found in the mail?”

 

Edward slowly turned to face him. “I-I-I. I don’t know what was in the mail.”

 

“I found a paper saying you got accepted into Gotham University,” The man slammed the very paper onto the table, “So you want to try again.”

 

Edward just stared stunned at the innocent looking paper. “I got in.”

 

He had obviously said the wrong thing as the man threw the table out of the way and lunged at Ed, grabbing him by the throat. “You damn brat. I spend eighteen years raising you and you think your gonna be like her. She thought she could leave and she was wrong. I made you, I own you and you will not just abandon this family like she did!”

 

Spittle flew from his lips as he choked Ed. Ed weakly struggled for the cutting board trying to get a strong enough grip on it to hit his father. Finally, he managed to grab it just to hit him in the neck. With a choked gasp his father stumbled back. The knife ripping from his neck. Knife? Ed looked at the bloody knife in his hand stunned. He had grabbed the cutting board hadn’t he but no it sat undisturbed on the counter. The man gurgled desperately at his son but not even Oswald could understand him. They just watched as he slowly bled to death on the kitchen floor before the other boy disturbed the morbid sight. “ _ Alright. This wasn’t part of the plan but it works. Go bury him in the backyard, clean up this mess then we’ll leave. _ ”

 

“What?”

 

Ed’s question almost had a dreamy quality to it, like he had just woken from a trance. “ _ Did you not hear me the first time you moron, one; bury the body, two; clean up the mess in the kitchen, and three; grab that letter then buy a bus ticket to Gotham. No one will even notice anyone’s gone. Nobody likes him anymore anyway we’ve done the world a favor. _ ”

 

“You don’t have to call me a moron.”

 

“ _ Really because if you couldn’t even make sense of my list the first time I said it. Let’s hope your not too incompetent to put my plan into action. _ ”

 

Hurt and sadness washed over Ed’s face. “You sound like them.”

 

“ _ Don’t you ever compare me to them! _ ”

 

Anger burned in the other boy's eyes and Ed flinched away. With a nod, he started cleaning up the body. Oswald watched as Ed attempted to haul the body outside. In what felt like no time Ed had pulled the body to the back door. Oswald allowed them, Ed, to go first then he followed. He walked out the door and the brightness of the sun forced him to close his eyes. When he opened them he found the Edward and Riddler standing there. They were the same size but Riddler’s presence seemed to practically swallow Ed’s. It didn’t seem dangerous though. In fact is was… protective. Like Riddler was hiding Ed from everything outside of himself. Riddler made eye contact with Oswald. “ _ You’re just like them _ .”

The light flashed again and when Oswald opened his eyes again he found himself on the pier with Edward pointing a gun at him. This time Riddler stood beside him. Oswald watched himself insult Ed. “When I met you, you were a nervous, jittery loser. You were nothing. I created Edward Nygma”

 

Riddler walked over to the Oswald that was watching the scene unfold. “ _ You’re just like them. Insulting and controlling.” _

 

Oswald felt horror at the idea that Riddler would ever compare him to Ed’s parents. “I’m nothing like those monsters.”

 

“ _ Really because you sure sound like it here. When he isn’t who you want him to be you turned to anger and nasty words. Just because you couldn’t have your way. Your emotions rule you just like them and then you lash out at everyone around you. It doesn’t matter who gets hurt. _ ”

 

Riddler walked back to Ed not even giving Oswald a chance to defend himself. “ _ You didn’t even know the truth of the situation. _ ” 

 

With that Riddler took the gun from Ed and pulled the trigger.

 

Oswald shot up in bed terror engulfing his mind as he checked for a bullet wound. Relieved at finding nothing he laid back down, sweat cooling on his skin. It had all been a nightmare but something had changed. Never before had he dreamed of Ed as a child. Ed had never mentioned his family before and Oswald never brought up the subject with him. That part of the dream had been so real though, almost like… a memory.

***

The realization of part of his dream being Ed's memories prevented Oswald from sleeping. He checked the time to see that it was only an hour before he generally got ready. He prepared for the day in the clothes from yesterday and went to the den just to find Edward already there reading the paper.

 

Ed didn’t bother to look up but Oswald knew he was aware. Seeing Ed brought guilt crashing down on Oswald. He couldn’t be like them but according to Riddler the actions Oswald chose where similar to his parents. Maybe that was why killing Isabella ended so horribly. Oswald killing someone like that might have reminded Ed of his mother's murder. Of course, there was always the chance that Riddler was lying but everything he saw had seemed raw. If there was any chance of fixing their friendship then Oswald was going to have to take a chance. There was also Riddler’s parting words of not understanding the situation. What had he meant? “Oswald? Are you alright? You’ve been standing there for over three minutes.”

 

Ed speaking broke him out of his thoughts. It also reminded him of how strange it was to hear himself speak without being the one choosing the words. Oswald took a deep breath to strengthen his resolve then spoke. “Edward I realize that I made a huge mistake that hurt you. For this, I am deeply sorry and I hope my actions didn’t make friendship between us once more an impossibility.”

The look on Ed’s face suggested that maybe he thought Oswald belonged in Arkham but that look dissolved into distrust. “Clever Oswald, so what’s the game? Fool me into trusting you by using my own face then stab me in the back once we’ve switched back? It won’t work.”

 

“No Edward, no game. Last night Riddler explained to me how my actions might have come across due to your past experience and I understood just how horrible my treatment of you was. I can’t say I appreciate how you handled the situation but I understand.”

 

Relief shined in Ed’s eyes at hearing Riddler was still around but anger soon took over. “He told you! What did he tell you?!”

 

“He didn’t tell me exactly he more of showed me. He let me see some of your memories from when you were younger.”

 

“He showed you? And you believed him? Come on Oswald you of all people should know he’s a liar. We both are.”

 

It sounded like Ed was trying to convince himself more than Oswald. That desperation to just pretend it never happened broke Oswald’s heart. “I’m sorry I’m sorry for how they treated you and I’m sorry I ever treated you like them in any way. I’m sorry I hurt you so badly that I could even be compared to them. I don’t know if I can ever make it up to you but I’d like to try. If you’d be willing to give me that chance.”

Oswald hated being vulnerable like this especially after how it ended last time he bared his feelings. Edward crumpled in on himself, tears silently slipping down his cheeks. He didn’t know if it would be okay but he couldn’t just stand rooted to the floor while Edward wept. He sat beside Ed who latched onto him. Oswald wrapped his arms around Ed providing the only comfort he could. He didn’t know how long they were curled together but eventually, Ed pulled away, wiping at his face. “Oswald, if at all possible I would like to forget any of this ever happened.”

 

Hurt curled in his core at the thought they would continue being enemies but he nodded in acceptance. “Before you get upset and I can already see that happening, I would like to take you up on that offer to be friends. We did work better as a team.”

 

A smile bloomed across Oswald's face at Ed’s words and he pulled Ed into another hug. A shyer smile appeared on Ed’s before he wiped it away and became serious. “Alright the first item on our list is breakfast, then we return to the building where all of Strange’s equipment is being guarded. The machine is too large to be able to steal so we’ll have to figure out how to switch bodies while there. Who exactly do you plan on accompanying us on this trip?”

 

“I believe Zsasz alone will be fine, we don’t need too many other people finding out about this.”

 

Ed nodded, “Another point I would like to discuss is clothing. I would like my suit back or replaced.”

 

‘ _ Oh look how domestic you two are. It’s so sweet I want to gag. _ ’

 

Oswald grimaced at the interruption, something that Ed didn’t miss. “Riddler?”

 

“Yes though this is the first time he’s spoken to me since last night.”

 

“He does that, if he can’t take control by force he’ll ridicule you until you give him what he wants.”

 

“How do you put up with him constantly?”

 

“He means well. All my life I felt like there was someone stronger and smarter inside of me. It turns out there was.”

 

Ed said it so nonchalantly like people normally had voices in their head that were alternate versions of themselves. Still, they had just made up he didn’t want to bring anything up that could upset their tentative second try at friendship.

***

Breakfast had been devoured in a hurry so they could leave for their destination. Now Edward just hoped that he would be able to make the machine switch them back. He and Oswald might be trying again but he didn’t want to be stuck as Oswald and he could admit it. He missed Riddler, it was odd to have spent so long with him just for Riddler to be gone.

 

He couldn’t believe what Riddler had done. Ed was lucky everything had ended well. He hadn’t foreseen Oswald ever truly apologizing. He was unhappy about Oswald learning his past, that was something he never wanted to reveal to anyone. At least Riddler had kept the biggest secret. He didn’t know what would happen if Riddler had told Oswald that his initial feelings had been returned. That Isabella had been a ploy to hide the truth. Edward didn’t want to even consider the humiliation that would come if Oswald knew the truth. Still, Edward was glad at how things played out but he needed to focus on the task at hand. Getting back to the proper body.

 

Ed had been so deeply in contemplation that he was surprised when they arrived. Oswald had to shake him out of his reverie. “Come, Ed, we don’t have all day to try and figure this out.”

 

Ed followed him out of the car but soon took the lead in returning to the room. Zsasz was instructed to stay by the car since they didn’t know what would happen with the machine this time. It became apparent that no one had learned of Ed’s trespassing. The sheet lay crumpled on the floor, right where Ed had left it. Ed studied the machine for nearly ten minutes before Oswald spoke, “Well?”

 

“Strange’s inventions don’t really come with a list of instructions. I need time if we want to get back to our bodies.”

 

“What did you do yesterday?”

 

“What I did yesterday was purely by accident.”

 

“Which was?”

 

“I stumbled and caught myself on the red lever, in doing so I pulled it.”

 

“You caused us to switch by accident? Wonderful. Well, try pulling the red lever again.”

 

“Try it again? Oswald, we don’t know what that will do. We could end up in completely different bodies again.”

 

“Neither of us have any idea how this machine works. The only thing we know is that the red lever causes people to switch bodies so try it. We can always come back here in our new bodies and try again if it doesn’t work.”

 

“Oswald no. I’m not going to just pull a lever in the hope that it’ll work.”

 

“Fine Ed,” Oswald walked up to the machine, “Then I’ll pull it.”

 

“Oswald no.”

 

A familiar feeling of vertigo swept over Oswald as the lever returned to its proper place. He stumbled into Ed who grasped onto him. They used each other for support until the wave of dizziness passed. Edward righted himself and looked to make sure he was in the correct body. Tall and poorly dressed, check. ‘Riddler?’

 

‘ _ Honestly, it took an entire day for you to figure this mess out and you couldn’t even manage that, Oswald did it for you. How typical. _ ’

 

Riddler who was normally condescending in situations like this lacked any bite in his words. “Oswald, are you in the correct body?”

 

In the short conversation Ed had with Riddler Oswald had begun to straighten is ruffled clothing. “Yes, I am. See nothing to worry about, and now everything is back to normal.”

 

Ed couldn’t hide the exasperation, “Nothing to worry about! We could have ended up switched with people in completely different cities. Pulling that never was reckless and stupi…”

 

Without even thinking about it Oswald pulled Edward down into a kiss. Ed was stunned but he managed to return the kiss. He hadn’t expected Oswald to have such soft lips. Oswald abruptly pulled away when he realized what he had done. “Edward! I apologize that was…”

 

Ed cut him off with another kiss. “Completely necessary and mutual,” Ed gave Oswald a shy smile before continuing, “though for time’s sake I would suggest we continue this later in a location where we are less likely to get caught.”

 

Oswald nodded and once more in the proper bodies, Edward and Oswald strode out back to the car. Ed didn’t know how things would go for them this time but he was determined to not waste any time with Oswald.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for taking the time to read. Feedback is always appreciated, and once more I would like to thank loveart248 for the wonderful idea.


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